Black beans and rice is a beloved staple in my recipe collection, passed down from my Cuban mother. As a child, I would spend weekends at my aunt’s house where black beans and rice were always on the menu, but after a while, I grew tired of the dish. However, every Thanksgiving, our Cuban family would gather at my parents’ house, and the most requested item was always my mom’s black beans and rice. She even made extra for friends, which my dad would deliver to their homes the night before the feast.
My mom never measured any of her recipes; cooking was more of a feeling for her. One might think that without proper measurements, there would be inconsistent results, but my mom always nailed it every time. While cooking this recipe with her, I had to stop her each time she took an ingredient to measure it for reference. She assured me that the finished recipe would be just like hers, but I have to disagree. No one can cook black beans and rice like my mom.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker - optional
Ingredients
- 1 lb Black beans soak for 24 hours
- 1 whole green pepper chopped into large chunks
- 1 whole onion cut into quarters
- 1 cup green olives
- 1 cup olive oil spanish
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cumin ground
Instructions
Prepare the beans
- The day before, wash the beans and soak over night. Remove split beans and beans that float to the top
Cooking the beans
- There is only one difference cooking in a pressure cooker or in a regular post and that is time. The ingredients are the same but the pressure cooker only takes about 45 minutes to cook.
- Drain the beans and add them to the pot. Add the onions, oregano, cumin and green pepper to the pot. Add enough water to cover the beans and other ingredients by at least 2 or 3 inches. Bring the beans to a boil stirring occasionaliy. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
- For the pot method, you will cook for several hours till the beans are tender. Striring every so often so the beans do not burn at the bottom of the pot. Place a lid over the top but leave a little gap. If too much water evaporates add just enough to keep the beans soupy.
- For the pressure cooker: Once your beans come to a boil follow your pressure cookers guidelines and recommendation for cooking. Appoximately 45 minutes later, follow the procedure for releasing pressure in you pot and open the beans. Add a little more water if needed to make it soupy.
- To finish off the beans add the sugar, olive oil and green olives stuff with pimentos to the beans. Mix thourghly and serve with rice.